Directed by Denis Villeneuve
Year: 2024
Language: English (+Fremen)
Shaun’s Score: 3.7/5 ★
Before Watching:
If I had a nickel for every time Zendaya’s little white boyfriend started a War of the Worlds... I’d have two nickels, which isn’t a lot, but it is weird that it happened twice. Denis Villeneuve (apparently the only director who can do good SciFi anymore) has been resurrected with the long-anticipated (read: delayed) sequel to 2021’s winner of six Academy Awards, Dune. Picking up right where the first film ends, Part Two spans the remainder of Frank Herbert’s 1965 epic novel for which the franchise is named. The sequel is grander and wormier than the original, but with just as much Chalamet cheekbone and a surprise injection of a sultry little Austin Butler. Will he get stuck in his Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen accent like he did with Elvis? Inshallah.
Paul Atreides (Chalamet), the exiled Duke of Arrakis, resumes his journey to form an alliance with the desert planet’s native Fremen population after the slaughter of his father and countrymen by the ruthless Harkonnens. The Fremen have refined the art of survival in the unforgiving sands of Arrakis, using body suits to maintain moisture and learning to coexist with (even ride) the monstrous sandworms which produce “spice”—the planet’s chief export. In attempting to earn the Fremen’s trust, Paul discovers one faction who view him as the deified “Lisan al Gaib”, a prophesied liberator of the Fremen. The opposing faction of skeptics, however, is led by Paul’s love interest Chani (a dazzling Zendaya). He was a Messiah boy, she said he’s a colonizing pariah ploy (he wasn’t good enough for her).1 The two of them really lean into the puppy dog eyes in a way that is less “let’s avoid a holy war” and more “you’re too uwu to start a holy war, senpai 🥺.”
Dune: Part Two is, nonetheless, devastating. A biblical epic around the consequences of religious fundamentalism, colonization, and genocide, the film only really suffers from its eyeroll-worthy dialogue, poor acting, and oversimplification of the source material. I’ll admit that Timothée really is Dune 2 much in trying to stuff NY theater kid energy into science fiction, but the scale of the production design and beauty of everything from the score to the costumes and SFX help make up for it. Not to mention that delightful abomination that some theaters are hawking.
This operation Desert St(w)orm sequel has yielded over $500 million in the global box office so far, so perhaps the Dune franchise will become something of a Gen Z Star Wars equivalent. It’s only once in a blue dune that the whole world turns its attention to a lost royal, embattled in scandal and—actually, never mind.2
Dune: Part Two premiered in London on February 15th, 2024, and is now available in theaters worldwide.
After Watching:
Go back and retroactively give Hans Zimmer every Academy Award ever minted for original score. Did you know he even makes custom instruments for soundtracks using PVC pipes and other raw materials from Home Depot? We’ve all had our fun teasing the iconic, belting vocal line that pins the whole film together, but listening through the whole Spotify playlist is a haunting revelation.
So, you mean to tell me that “Dune” is the original Fremen name of the planet, and “Arrakis” is just the white people name? Is this scene ripped directly from Argo (2012)? Um… maybe we should do less “Lisan al Gaib” and more Lisan-ing to what etymologies these words come from.
Finally, I must comment on how Austin Butler really went back in for that second kiss with his uncle. I just hope that Disney Channel/Nickelodeon kids watch this movie to see him, Zendaya, and Wonka having magical adventures, only to be disturbed and confused. Now that is what I call staying true to the source material3 (as written).
Come on, I was born in the ’90s.
Also, technically, the Wonka source material.